Centrifugal pump



April 8 1924. 1,489,571

K. K. WRIGHT CENTRI FUGAL PUMP Filed Jan. 6 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 8 1924.

K. K. WRIGHT OENTRIFUGAL PUMP 2 Sheecs-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6 2922 6 fi w n m f a and a on which a shaft B is suitably Patented A r. 8, 1924.

.u -rwsmm PATENT omen. KIRK K. 0F B G. CO, -OF

cmwriuruean rum.

application filed January 6, 1922. Serial No. 587,818.

To all whom it may concern:

journalled; The base also has an upwardly Be -it known that I, Kmx K. WRIGHT, a extending transverse supporting plate or citizen of the United States, residing at Bufmember C to which the housing D of the falo, in the county ofv Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Centrifugal Pumps, of whlch the following is a specification.

This invention relates to centrifugali pumps.

Pumps of this kind as heretofore made have had certain objections when used in connection with milkor similar liquids, the principal objection being that a centrifugal ump seems to have a certain churning efect on the milk and to cause an objectionable amount of frothin or foaming. liumps of this kind have a so been hard-to c ean.

The objects of this invention are to provide a ump of this kind which is so constructed as to materially reduce the frothing or churning action of the ump, also to so construct umps of this kind as tofacilitate the ceanin thereof; also to produce a pump whic may easily be set or adjusted to various positions; also to improve the construction of pumps of th1s kind in other respects hereinafter specified.

In the accom anying drawings; Fig. 1 is a 'si e elevation of a centrifugal pump embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with the cover for the pump housing removed therefrom,

Fig. 3 is a face view of the cover for the pump housing,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central sectional elevation thereof on an enlar ed scale,

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation thereof on line 55, Figure 4,

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional elevation thereof on line 66, Figure 1 Fig. 7 is a fra mentarydetail view on an enlarged scale s owing the connection be tween the end of the shaft and the rotor or impeller, and

Fig. 8 is a section thereof on line 8-8, Figure 4.

The centrifugal pump may be mounted on any suitable base or frame, that shown including a base plate A which may be secured to a floor or other support and which has upwardly extending bearing standards between the two bearin pump and the ends ofthe rotor or impeller lades' arranged at a considerable distance from the inner surface of the housing. I

have found that the objectionable churning action and frothing in pumps as heretofore made is due to, the fact that the outer ends of the impeller blades pass through the milk in such a way as to cause a violent agitation'at the ends of these blades. This action is prevented in my improved construction inwhich the main portion of the pump housin D is substantially concentric with the axis of the rotor and only a comparativel small portion of the housingadjacent to t e discharge pipe is eccentric and in which the impeller blades are so formed that the ends thereof extend into close proximity to the inner. surface of the pump housingk Consequently violent agitation of the m1 takes place only in the comparatively small eccentric portion of the housing and this agitation is not suilicientto produce ob-' jectionable frothing or churning. In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawin s the pump housing includes a substantially flat side or radial wall d which may be secured to the plate C of the base by means of screws d or the like, and a circumferential well including a portion (1 which is concentric with the axis of the shaft B and a portion (i which is eccentric with reference to the shaft B and terminates ina discharge pipe d This pipe may be connected by any suitable coupling particularly desirable in cleaning the pum since the cylindrical circumferential wal forms no pocket or recess in which either milk or washing water may collect, so that the pump, even if carelessly washed, will not retain any material which might contaminate the milk.

E represents the rotor or impeller of the pum which has a plurality of blades e \vhic tion of the rotor bein suitably secured on the end of the shaft The outer ends a of the impeller blades are formed to extend into close proximity to the concentric portion d of the housing of the pump and these ends are preferably formed to present I a considerable area, which is concentric with the axis of the propeller. Consequently the clearance between t e ends of the blades and the housing is very small, and, owing to this small clearance and the extended area of the ends e very little liquid can flow through the space between the ends of the blades and the housing, so that the frothing or churning action is reduced to a minimum in the concentric art of the pump. Furthermore, by making these blades spiral in form and by providing relatively large surfaces on the outer ends e of the blades, the rear ends of the blades terminate in relatively sharp edges e, which in passing through a body of liquid, cause practically no eddies or whirling of liquid at these portions of the blades, but cause the liquid to be dischar ed from the spaces between the blades wit a minimum loss. of efficiency due to eddies, and witha minimum amount of frothing or churnin action. Each of these blades is preferab y provided with a longitudinal central recess or depression e"- which assists in pumping the milk without excessive frothing thereof.

The rotor may be connected with the shaft B in any suitable or desired manner, this connection being preferably such as to permit the rotor to be readily removed from and attached to the end of the shaft. In the construction shown for this pu ose the hub e of the rotor is provided wit a projecting hub portion f through which a pin F extends, the pin being suitably secured to the portion 7 of the hub. The end of the shaft is provided with a longitudinal slot f" into which the pin F may enter. The inner end of the slot f is enlarged radially with reference to the axis of the shaft as indicated at f to permit the pin to enter into the enlargements and thereby prevent the hub from moving lengthwise with reference to the shaft. By means of this construction the rotor can be easily placed on the shaft by placing the hub on-the shaft in such a manner that the pin F enters into the slot f and then giving the rotor a slight turn so in the construction shown extend spirally from a hub portion e, the hub porthat the pin enters' into the enlargements;-

f which prevent'the'endwise movement of the rotor. Theremoval of the rotor can be easily effected by slightly turning the same so that the pin may pass through the slot f. The rotor is prevented from being disconnected from the end of the shaft during the operation of the pump by the walls of the housing.

The housingof the -pump is provided with a cover or closure G having a substantially radialrtion g which extends into close proximity to the adjacent side faces of the rotor and an intermediate or axial inlet portion g which is hollow. and through whichthe fluid to be pumped may enter into housing D and the outer ends of the screws are provided with handle'portions or'win s k by means of which the screws may easi y be turned. In order to remove the cover from the housing each of the screws H is given a partial turn whereupon the housing cover may be turned to cause the wingsv h to move out of engagement with the screws so thatthe cover may be readily removed from the housing. Any other means for securing the cover to the housing may be rovided. n I

y mounting a part of the housing of the pumpon the plate C as shown, the pump housing may readily be adjusted to different positions with reference to the base of the pump, this being accomplished by placing the screws (5 at equal distances apart so that the threaded holes in the pump housing may be placed into re istration with any of the holes in the plate In the construction shown, four fastening screws are provided and consequently the pump housing may be secured in four different positions. In Figure 6 two of these positions are indicated, the full lines showing a posi-v tion of the housing whereby the discharge pipe is arranged at the bottom of the housing, whereas the dotted lines indicate the discharge pipe arranged at the upper portion of the pump. Similarly the pump may discharge at either side thereof. By means of this arrangement the pump can be readily adapted to cooperate with a pasteurizer or other apparatus with which the same is to be used, and in installing the pump no machine work is necessary to place the pump housing in any one of the several positions in which the same may be secured.

I claim as m invention:

1. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a housing open at one side and having a discharge passage formed integral therewith on the peripheral portion thereof, a rotor shaft extending through said housing into the same/a supporting member having an upwardly extending portion to which said housing is secured, a bearing for said rotor shaft supported by said upwardly extending portion, a removable side wall having an inlet for the liquid to be pumped and adapted to be secured to and removed from the open side of said housing without disturbing said discharge outlet, and means for securing said housing on said upwardly extending portion in different positions about the axis of said shaft, to arrange said discharge outlet in different relations with reference to said supporting member.

2. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a drive shaft, a housingvhaving a circumferential wall, the meter portion of which is concentric wit said shaft, and a rotor having a lurality of blades, the outer ends of whic form surfaces of ex; tended area and which are formed concentric with said shaft and extend into as close proximity with said concentric portions of said housing as is possible without producing friction, said outer ends and the rear faces of said blades meeting at an acute angle at the rear outer portions of said blades.

3. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a housing having a radial wall and a circumferential wall provided witha discharge outlet, a rotor shaft extending through said radial wall, a supporting member to which said housing may be secured and having an vupwardly extending portion, a bearing for said rotor shaft on said upwardly extending portion, and means for securing said radial wall to the upwardly extending portion of said supporting member ,in different positions to arrange said discharge outlet in different relations with reference to said supporting member.

4. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a housing having a radial wall and a circumferential wall formed integral therewith, a rotor shaft extending through said radial wall, a supporting member having a part to which said radial wall may be secured, securing devices for holding said housing in different relations to said supporting member, and a cover for said housing which is provided with an axial inlet for the liquid.

5. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a housing, a drive shaft extending into said housing, a rotor-mounted in said housm on the end of said shaft, the end of said shaft having a longitudinally extendmg slot, the inner portion of which is enlarged, a pin secured to said rotor and adapted to enter into said lon itudinal slot in said shaft and to be held in said: onlarged portion of said slot against endwise movement relatively to the shaft, and a part on said housing which is spaced adacent to said rotor and prevents the rotor from moving in a direction to enable said pin to move out of said slot.

6. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a driveshaft, a rotor having a hub portion which is removably mounted on the end of said shaft, the end .of said shaft being provided with a longitudinal slot, the inner end of which is enlarged, and a pin extending through the huh-portion of said rotor and adapted to enter said slot when the shaft enters lengthwise into said hub, said pin being movable into said enlargements of said slots by turning said shaft and hub portion relatively to each other, and being held against endwise movement relatively to said shaft by said enlargements, the torque transmitted to said rotor serving to hold said pin in. said enlargements of said slot.

7. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a housing having a radial wall and a cincumferential wall, a drive shaft extending through said radial wall and having a slot in the outer end thereof, a rotor detachably mounted on said shaft and having a part cooperating with said slot, and a removable radial wall mounted on said housing and having an inlet for the liquid to be pumped,

said removable Wall cooperating with said rotor to hold said part of said rotor in operative relation to said slot.

8. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a housing which is open at one side thereof and closed at the other side, a drive shaft extending intosaid housing through said closed side thereof, a removable side wall adapted to close the open side of said housing and having an inlet for the liquid to.

be pumped, a rotor mounted on said shaft, cooperating parts on said rotor and shaft for holding said rotor against turning relatively to said shaft and which permit said rotor to be moved freely lengthwise of said shaft out of engagement therewith, said removable side wall serving to hold said cooperating parts on said rotor and shaft in operative relation to each other when the rotor is idle, and means on said rotor and shaft which cooperate only when power is transmitted to the rotor to hold the sameout of contact with said wall.

KIRK K. WRIGHT. 

